385 replies to this topic

[Soupie]

And to further confound things, note the terri-bull MUSCLE scupt featured in the picture.

[Soupie]

So to compliment the prong's size and original design for softer figures, they took a couple of easy sculpts and then had some smaller versions sculpted for the ring.  They just took Terri's jacket off in the process.

I also think it would have been fairly easy for Bandai to kit-bash those figures.

I agree that it would have been pretty easy for Bandai to tweak a few existing sculpts to give us the MUSCLE ring figures.

Let's take a look at what we've got:

The first three terri-bulls are the Kinnikuman/MUSCLE sculpts, the last is the MUSCLE sculpt.





Below, the first is the Kinnikuman/MUSCLE sculpt and the second is the MUSCLE sculpt (according to the MUSCLEUK Archive.)



All pictures courtesy Nathan's MUSCLE page!

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

I don't know about kitbashing them. The terri's just all seem more different in certain cases than they do alike. As for Kinny. Looks like they just sculpted a smaller one, and just used 141 as a reference tool. They had to have done the same thing for Terri, but used 93 and just changed him a bit by making his arms raised instead of down. I think he resembles 93 more than any others.

Also I don't think it would have really cost that much to have someone sculpt the designs just for the ring. I mean Bandai no doubt has tons of designers and fabricators working for them already, and just got one of the guys to make a couple more. Maybe even the same guy or guys(or ladys ) who were designing the kinkeshi at the time. Hardly would have cost them money, and would make more sense than anything.

[Kevin Mayle]

Posted: Jun 17 2004, 07:30 AM  VEERS

I just got off the phone with the person I have repeatedly annoyed at Mattel, and the figures could have come out in 1985. She said that could happen because the toyline was going to be launched, but it didn’t meet the deadline (or something like that) for the 1985 catalog. So the toy went into production and was distributed, then was added to the catalog the following year (1986). I then asked her if any new product (i.e., SC, DM, SHA, etc.) could be introduced after the toy was removed from the catalog? Her answer was no. She said that new product would be in the catalog. If the toy was still available after it was removed from the catalog, then it would be old stock. This makes perfect sense. I think it also may make our Super Rare friends part of the first wave of flesh figures.

Posted: Aug 5 2002, 05:39 PM  Jkaris

Here is proof that Satan Cross was released early in the line vs. the theory that he was released during the latter end of the toy line. During the first few waves of ther MUSCLE toy, on the back of the 4-packs, there was the offer for the poster. Somewhere in the middle of the run, while they still had only pinks, they discontinued to poster offer on the back of the 4 packs, and so tyou had 4 packs with a blank spot on the back, where the poster offer was previously. So I was thinking, we have a S.C. in a 4 pack, sealed, so what does the back look like. Here you go. We now know for sure that he was released during the beginning of the run, and not the middle or end.

Something I found in an old post about the SRs coming out in the first wave and then disappearing from the line after that.

Edited by kevinmayle, 24 December 2005 - 06:14 PM.

[Kevin Mayle]

QUOTE 
3) Despite your opinion of DM and DE, their existence does challenge this theory -- as has been said before.


Well the reason why I don't feel compelled to have to include them is because, take all the MUSCLEs the members of this board have. Add that to all the lots we've seen on E-bay. What's that, 50,000 MUSCLEs? And there is only 1 of each of DM and DE. That's 5 times rare than the MUSCLE Hauler, which was only a prototype. And why do they just happened to be owned by:
QUOTE 
User ID                        Bid Amount  Date of bid
yapiel ( 1 )                    $910.00        Jan-17-05 18:14:44 PST 
phillymadison ( 328)      $900.00        Jan-17-05 18:14:57 PST 


It just makes me a bit sceptical.

I feel bad about posting that. I don't know them and I was out of line. Reading more about them on the forum has shown me they seem to be great guys. Sorry.

[jkaris]

I would really like to know where the Buffaloman (Terri-Bull) sculpt came from. To date, I have never seen it as a kinnikuman figure.

[arforbes]

I would really like to know where the Buffaloman (Terri-Bull) sculpt came from. To date, I have never seen it as a kinnikuman figure.

I wonder if they just created it for the Wrestling Ring and the Board Game. Very unusual that it would not even exist as a Kinnikuman sculpt. Every M.U.S.C.L.E. figure, even Super Rares, exist as Kinnikuman sculpts, except for this Terri-Bull figure.

[Soupie]

I just quickly browsed through the Non-MUSCLE sculpt Kinnikuman: Basically from Part 22 and up.

There is no terri-bull sculpt that would work with the ring, thus Bandai/Mattel were likely forced to make a sculpt specifically for use with the MUSCLE ring (and re-size another).

[jkaris]

There is no terri-bull sculpt that would work with the ring, thus Bandai/Mattel were likely forced to make a sculpt specifically for use with the MUSCLE ring (and re-size another).

That's a great point. There is no buffaloman sculpt with raised fists. I never even thought about that.

[Ridureyu]

Doesn't the figure of Buffaloman with his jersey have raised fists?

[arforbes]

Doesn't the figure of Buffaloman with his jersey have raised fists?

They are raised, but to the waist level...

[jkaris]

Alex, do you still scan eBay religiously?

[arforbes]

Alex, do you still scan eBay religiously?

Yeah, I'm on there a lot. Why do you ask?

[Soupie]

Doesn't the figure of Buffaloman with his jersey have raised fists?

Yes, but as arforbes said, they are only raised to his waist. An image of this figure is available about three posts above yours, btw.

The other problem is his vest. They probably wanted both figures to be in American wrestling gear, i.e., no shirts or pants.

[jkaris]

Alex, do you still scan eBay religiously?

Yeah, I'm on there a lot. Why do you ask?

Just wondering if you there was someone still actively looking for super rares.

[arforbes]

Alex, do you still scan eBay religiously?

Yeah, I'm on there a lot. Why do you ask?

Just wondering if you there was someone still actively looking for super rares.

Yes, like the watchful eye of sauron.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Yes, like the watchful eye of sauron. 

Speaking of Lord of the rings. I know this is off topic! But I was watching Encino Man about a week ago, and if any of you remember that movie the guy who played Sam in LOTR was in Encino Man. The first thing that popped in my head was "What if Pauly Shore had played Smeagle/Golem?!" Just Picture it! I can hear him saying Precious right now! "Preeeeecious!"

[jkaris]

I wonder when the next ones will pop up? The HAS to be more out there.

[jkaris]

I mean, one could pop up anywhere....

[jkaris]

11 more:

http://www.littlerub...?showtopic=9766

[Soupie]

While my main reason for being skeptical has been somewhat answered (no eBay watermark on the auction picture), I'm still very skeptical. Not necessarily because I don't trust jkaris, but because the find is so bizarre:

1) A Mattel 28 pack sold in Japan
2) 11 Non-MUSCLE sculpt MUSCLEs
3) Spanning several different parts
4) No SRs that we already know included
5) The seller didn't know what he/she had

If (IF) this find is legit, the MUSCLE SR mystery is over... and Marty was right the entire time.

Why would a Japanese seller have an American Mattel 28 pack full of MUSCLE figures, including Non-MUSCLE sculpt MUSCLEs, and one even consisting of multiple parts?

The answer is easy: They are prototypes.

[arforbes]

While my main reason for being skeptical has been somewhat answered (no eBay watermark on the auction picture)

It was a Yahoo Japan auction...

Edited by arforbes, 20 January 2006 - 03:35 PM.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

You know, I was walking in the woods today thinking about what I usually think about, you know, Muscles. When out of nowhere! This Theory ran up to me, looked me straight in the eyes and then kicked me right in the Mallys! And here it is.

Why didn't Mattel release all known Kinnikuman figures as Muscles? Well, at the time it would seem that Bandai was no longer marketing the first 20 odd sets of figures. However they were still in the middle of marketing the other series in Japan! That's why there were only a few Super Rares produced! Where Mattel wouldn't give a toot about what figures they could Market, Bandai would care what Figures Mattel could market. Why? Because Kinnikuman was one of the top dogs of it's time in the 80's in Japan! Bandai wouldn't sacrifice the molds, the distributing rights, the factories, and the Man power to help Mattel push later series or current series that Bandai was already marketing and producing. So initially Mattel was sure that they would be releasing about 400 figures, but then Bandai says "Well! Due to the problem with manufacturing costs, it would be too difficult for us to Market our current lines at the same time as yours! Not to mention it would cut in on our initial profits!" So we have numerous factories who are all given the casting formula for the Muscle figures ahead of time so that everything will run smoothly when a final decision is made. A couple factories get the wrong Idea and start popping out figures ahead of schedule in the muscle plastic, but when Bandai catches on to the mistake they tell the factories to stop and just ship what they had made to the distributor! As Bandai slowly finished with each line they would go ahead and send the respective molds to the factories producing the muscles. But this wasn't fast enough for Mattel. They don't see any profit in waiting to gain distributing rights for other lines, so they just take the already contracted lines and start pumping out colored figs! Which doesn't bother Bandai at all! Now they could focus completely on what they were doing. However since certain molds were not under the initial agreement, Bandai would make a fuss and request certain molds to be returned before Mattel's colored escapades. So There goes Satan Cross! There Goes the late BHS SHAM DM DE! Satan Cross was probably given over along with the other molds by mistake, but since Bandai was already done with that line, they didn't notice. That would explain his abundance, but doesn't explain why he was always missing his better half. I may have left something out, but It seems that I have lost my train of thought.

Edited by Universal Ruler Supreme, 20 January 2006 - 09:22 PM.